Wow! As I write this blog, I am in the Switzerland airport on the way to Southeast Asia! It’s crazy that our time in Nicaragua is already over. It has been such a blessing to have spent the past two months there. The Lord has been working so much not only in my heart, but also in our whole squad. During our time, we grew close as we worshipped, practiced different disciplines, and did ministry together. Having to leave them as we go to Southeast Asia will be hard, but I’m also excited to grow closer to my team.
In the past weeks in Nicaragua, we finished doing ministry and spent a week debriefing, spending time with the Lord and just hanging out together before the transition to Southeast Asia. We stayed at an Airbnb right by a beautiful, blue volcanic crater lagoon and the atmosphere was so peaceful and perfect for finishing up our time. While there, the Lord gave me this beautiful image of how His love is constantly pursing us. In the lagoon, the waves constantly lapped at the edge, sometimes in small waves and sometimes bigger waves. But there is constantly a small wave. Just like the Lord’s love, there is a constant pursuit of his love for us. And the Lord reminded me of the song “You make me brave” where it says “And your love, wave after wave, crashes over me, crashes over me.” And this became my song for the week I would say. The Lord’s love is constantly crashing over us, whether we feel it in small waves or like a huge wave engulfing us. But we can either choose to embrace the waves and submit to the current, or we can try to resist it. And from experience, embracing the current and the waves is much more fun than resisting them. Often though, when it comes to the Lord’s love, I am resistant and don’t allow myself to be taken into the full measure of his love, but sit on the shore looking out at his love, but not experiencing it. And while I can still partially gain an understanding of the Lord’s love from the shore, and not fully accepting it, I’ll never fully understand it and believe it until I feel it. A common theme throughout all of Nicaragua was the Lord revealing to me more and more of his love for me. And although I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand it, I know that He is teaching me to accept His love more and more and fully embrace it. Because it’s not like He’ll stop pursuing all of me, so I might as well embrace it. One of the things that He’s been showing me about His love is the love in spiritual disciplines. In Nicaragua, we did 5 am devotions, fasting, worship, intercession, time in the word, and sabbath. The lord showed me that it is from a position of love that He calls us into these disciplines because they force us to turn our gaze back on Him and turn away from our own situations. Especially in worship, I saw the joy found in turning from the hardships and my personal struggles and fixing my gaze on the Lord who is constant in all things, never changing and ever loving.
Stepping into a new chapter so to speak of the race, I’m excited to see how the Lord is going to continue to move in my heart and in our team. Sadly, while I am in Southeast Asia, I will not be able to post any blogs, but I ask that we would continue to keep me and my team in your prayers.
Prayer Requests:
- Safety as we enter into Southeast Asia and quick adjustment to a new pace of life and rhythm
- Hearts that are open to receive the gospel as we share
